Around New Haven

Connecticut lost 7,100 jobs last month, down from 12,300 jobs lost in February, the State Department of Labor announced Thursday. Although the decrease in job losses may augur well for Connecticut’s economy, few are willing to speculate on when the state will regain the nearly 50,000 jobs shed in the last six months. The department also announced that Connecticut’s unemployment level — which climbed to 7.5 percent from 7.4 percent — is a full percentage point below the national average. —Zeke Miller

NHPD kicks off Citizens Police Academy

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. welcomed New Haven residents on Wednesday evening to the first weekly session of the city’s eighth Citizens Police Academy. Over the course of 12 weeks, members of the New Haven Police Department and other city officials will instruct the 21 attendees in police operations, objectives and tactics. NHPD members plan to give tours of police facilities, including the department’s communications center, and to let attendees ride with veterans in their patrol cars. The Yale Police Department’s citizens academy began last month. —Colin Ross

Dodd holds meeting on regional transit

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, convened in New Haven on Thursday a field hearing of the committee on regional transit issues. Among those testifying before the committee were New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut and Amtrak Vice President for Government Affairs Joseph McHugh. Dodd said he held the meeting to discuss “reforming the way the federal government approaches transportation policy and bringing new federal transportation resources to [the state].” —Zeke Miller

Ribbon cutting celebrates city redevelopment

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd joined New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and officials from the city’s housing authority Wednesday to recognize the completion of the redevelopment of Eastview Terrace. The officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and recognized the creation of two new streets within the complex. The $45 million effort has given the complex a new community center, computer lab and a half-court gym, in addition to 102 housing units. The complex’s streets will be named after Yale’s first black graduate and football captain, Edward Bouchet and Levi Jackson. —Colin Ross

Root canals, cleanings free at dental event

Today and Saturday, the Connecticut State Dental Association, a professional organization of licensed dentists, will sponsor free dental services for New Haven residents. Services include routine cleanings, fillings, extractions, partial dentures and root canals. Held at the New Haven Citywide Public Greenhouse on Sherman Parkway, the event will be offered to residents regardless of income level or other eligibility on a first-come, first-served basis. —Yale Daily News

Paul Newman joins Conn. Hall of Fame

Actor Paul Newman DRA ’54 was inducted posthumously into the Conn. Hall of Fame on Thursday. Other members of the Hall of Fame, which aims to honor distinguished state residents who have performed outstanding service, include Mark Twain and Igor Sikorsky. A Westport philanthropist, Newman co-founded the nonprofit company Newman’s Own, which has donated over $250 million to charities. Newman won two honorary Oscars and an Academy Award for his 1986 performance in “The Color of Money.” —Shahla Naimi